Cheerios Is Heading to the Super Bowl

Big G Hasn't Advertised in the Big Game Since 1996

General Mills will appear in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1996, this time with an ad for Cheerios, the company announced on its corporate blog today. The ad for regular Cheerios represents the first time the brand has advertised in the Big Game.

"While Cheerios isn't ready to reveal just yet what the storyline of the commercial will be, who will be in it or precisely when you will see it during the game (in the first 'unscheduled time-out'), we can tell you that Cheerios is quite proud of its message," the company said on its blog.

Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, is handling the spot. While General Mills did not comment on details, the blog post stated that the ad will be handled by the same creative team behind recent emotionally tinged ads such as this one below:

In the blog post today, the company said "the common theme is the power of family love and the important role that Cheerios and breakfast can play in building family connections."

"Historically, what's really worked for Cheerios is emotional storytelling that involves families and children, and connections and relationships," said Camille Gibson, VP-marketing for the Big G cereal division. "What people will see in this commercial really represents what the brand stands for. It will be a beautiful story about a family and their love for each other."

The ad comes as breakfast marketers seek to revive the sluggish cereal category. General Mills has not advertised in the Super Bowl since 1996, when Wheaties ran a spot featuring Michael Jordan, Deion Sanders and Steve Young.

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E.J. Schultz

E.J. Schultz is the Chicago Bureau Chief at Ad Age and covers beverage, automotive and sports marketing. He is a former reporter for McClatchy newspapers, including the Fresno Bee, where he covered business and state government and politics, and the Island Packet in South Carolina. He has won awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, the Jesse H. Neal Awards, the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the South Carolina Press Association and Investigative Reporters and Editors. A native of Cincinnati, Schultz has an economics degree from Xavier University and a masters in journalism from Northwestern University.